Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs dodged questions Sunday about Democratic Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego’s response to misconduct allegations against former California Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell.
Gallego, who has been described as Swalwell’s “best friend,” denied having any knowledge on the allegations against Swalwell, despite their longtime close association. During an interview for NBC 12 News in Phoenix, reporter Brahm Resnik repeatedly pressed Hobbs on whether she accepted Gallego’s explanation for why he supposedly did not know about Swalwell’s alleged “predatory behavior.”
“Do you accept Senator Gallego’s explanation for why he didn’t know about Swalwell’s alleged predatory behavior?” Resnik asked.
“Well, those are really questions for the senator,” Hobbs said. “I will say that as a social worker who spent a big part of my career working with victims of domestic violence, I absolutely take any allegations of sexual assault seriously and believe that any perpetrator, no matter who they are, needs to be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
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Hobbs continued dodging the question, arguing that it is a question for voters to answer.
“I don’t think it’s on me to accept it. It’s on the voters and, again, these questions need to go back to the senator,” Hobbs said.
“So you’re not going to answer that question,” Resnik replied.
“I support survivors and I am glad there’s going to be some accountability,” Hobbs said.
Swalwell resigned from Congress and suspended his gubernatorial campaign after allegations of sexual assault emerged. A former staffer for Swalwell told CNN that she woke up in April 2024 to find Swalwell on top of her in his hotel bed after being heavily intoxicated the night before. Another woman, Democratic social media influencer Ally Sammarco, accused Swalwell of sending her unsolicited photographs of his genitalia.
A reporter pressed Gallego on how he did not know about the allegations against Swalwell given that he chaired his failed 2020 presidential campaign.
“This man led a double life. He lied to us, he lied to his family, he lied to his constituents,” Gallego said. “It’s the most powerful people in this country, you know, even before he ran, he was trusted with some positions that normally we would never think someone like this could do if they’re leading that double life. And again, I was manipulated, I was lied to, and everyone else was too.”
Gallego said he would release all of his text messages with Swalwell and other materials if he were subpoenaed.
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